To the essential matter-of-fact and sensible line of his novel, Neil Gunn added touches of what Man cannot rationally explain like prophetic dreams, premonitory visions and deep emotions. Through them, the Scottish tale-telling tradition and the influence of ballads tend to surface. These components have been kept in the various hypertextual versions despite the changes imposed by generic transpositions. To me, the island was like a fairy tale, an unknown land, far away on a distant planet, with stories of crofts, religion and herring fishing. Set in the early 19th century, it follows the fortunes of highlander Scots who were removed from their land ("the clearances"), which was (I understand) partly an economic benefit to the landowners but also was politically expedient to retard any attempts at organising against Brittain. While many highlanders migrated overseas during this time period, most were pushed onto small plots along the coastline, where they did not have the correct skills for self-sufficiency; this was a time of great poverty. As a story it is full of pathos and describes the lives and changes of two generations after the Clearances where superstition, family bonds, survival on the land and sea, love and loss. It is also Finn's bildungsroman from boy to manhood, from his mother's baby to skipper of his own boat and the possibility of his own family.

Just before the First World War did the fishery peak, with a estimated 1500 herring ‘drifters’ crewed by 15,000 fishermen, landing 12,000,000 cwt of catch. The ensuing turmoil of war then depleted those landings by over half, fishing communities subsequently came under much economic pressure and in 1935 The Herring Industry Board was set up to monitor and manage the markets. In a newspaper article entitled “The resolute fishermen of Scalpay in the Outer Hebrides still dream of a simple fish of legend and song” (the Anglers Journal ), Johan Hallberg-Campbell recalls memories of his childhood, when he used to visit his Scalpay Gaelic-speaking fisherman uncle. To the little boy, the far-away island where he was born, but which he had to leave at five, had become a strange, mysterious and magical place, with unknown specificities to discover, with some thrilling and fascinating story-telling, with enchanting and enrapting music and language. The infant’s mind created a world of fancies tinged with the surreal atmosphere oozing from adults’ discussions he couldn’t understand: Although the characters would have been Gaelic or Scots speakers, Gunn has happily chosen to write in standard English throughout, making it easily accessible to non-Scots and non-Gaelic speakers. His portrayal of the sea as a heartless mistress, dealing out wealth and death arbitrarily, is wonderful, and the sailing scenes are some of the best parts of the book. But equally he is great at showing the wild landscape, and the remoteness of the villages even from each other. Peter Arnott’s adaptation of Neil Gunn’s classic Scottish novel, telling the semi-mythic story of a people driven from their North-Eastern lands into the early, often dangerous fishing industry is a nuanced and moving (if necessarily truncated) version of the novel. (Fringe festival article) The north-east has a lot to be proud of and the awards were a way for us to shout about the city on a bigger scale.Director of The Silver Darling, Alan Aitken, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Craig to The Silver Darling team. He has a great wealth of experience and talent along with huge passion which is a great fit for our company ethos. Our aim for the renovations have been based on enhancing the buildings unique character and setting while adding stylish features suited to our style of dining. We are very excited about launching this weekend and look forward to this new chapter for the restaurant.”

With the engagement system, the curer agreed to pay a fixed rate for every cran (a measure of fresh herring) landed from each boat during that season, up to a maximum of 200 or 250 crans. […] It created a system of guarantee and stability that was fundamental to the Scottish herring fishery. However, the curer did have to anticipate the market, and there were years in the late 19th century when curers lost a lot of money. ( historyshelf 13 ) L aplace Philippe, 2006, Les Hautes-Terres, l’histoire et la mémoire dans les romans de Neil M. Gunn, Besançon, Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté.Over the next wee while, we will be sharing uplifting content across our social media channels whilst developing plans for the re-opening on the venues. With signs of Spring in the air, we have refreshed our menu with a new selection of dishes to reflect the seasonal changes ahead.

Our head chef, Craig Somers was recently featured in local lifestyle magazine Trend and he shared his delicious Scallops recipe...why not give it a try for yourself? before the Reformation when people were expected to have fish rather than meat on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and during Church fasts. In Lent 1265, the Countess of Leicester’s household consumed up to a thousand herring daily, and in the year 1307–8, Durham Priory bought 242,000. Cheap and plentiful, herring remained a staple food in Britain until 1951, when the catch dropped so catastrophically that a ban was imposed on North Sea herring fishing. (Kingshill & Westwood, 2014)What the author does best, however, is integrate the rich inner life of each of the characters with their external behaviours and decision making - particularly their emotional states. He perfectly captures the way emotions can wash over a person, flitting and changing from one minute to the next. I don't know if I have ever read an author who captures this human activity better. The Silver Darling, which first launched in 1986, has continued to be one of the city’s favourite restaurants with its panoramic views overlooking the beach, Fittie and Aberdeen’s harbour. As part of the refurbishment, the restaurant has partnered with local artist Shelagh Swanson to create a bespoke glass feature which will feature pictures of Fittie and the people of the community. The Silver Darling will officially re-open today for its first evening service from 5.30pm and will be open on Friday lunch time and all day on Saturday 3 rd February.

The Silver Darling, which is currently undergoing renovations is working with Shelagh, a painter and glassmaker based in Footdee, to create a unique glass feature for its new look restaurant. Preheat your grill and put the prepared lobster onto a baking tray and cover the flesh with the garlic butter and chopped parsley. Be careful not to grill the lobster too much as you just want to warm it, not cook it any more. Folly Bridge”, The Herring Song, Harrin’s Heid, < www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t8NP-OM22g> (consulted 2 Sept.2016). The sea fascinates men and terrifies women. Catrine cannot convince her young son Finn to keep away from its waves and from fishing. She is desperately fighting against her natural rival that engulfs so many boats and men whatever their ages. Yet, Finn will prove strong and mature in his 16th year: the sea has made him a man. Paradoxically, the sea is both a source of life and death: “Yet it was out of that very sea that hope was now coming to them.” ( Ibid. )V ogelaer Pieter, The Dutch herring fleet ( Hollandse haringvloot), pen and ink 84 cm x 114 cm work (Schilderijencollectie, Rijksmuseum), < www.geheugenvannederland.nl> (consulted 22 Sept. 2016). My Uncle David Morrison has lived his entire life on Gaelic-speaking Scalpay—Norse for “scallop island”—on the east side of the Outer Hebrides, about 35 miles from the Scottish coast. The island is just 4 kilometers long—one of 15 in the archipelago that are inhabited.